Spiritual Authority (Paperback)

by Watchman Nee (Author), Stephen Kaung (Translator)
Key Phrases: fifty leaders, rebellious words, slanderous words, Spiritual Authority, Lord Jesus, Old Testament Instances of Rebellion (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The chapters in this volume on the nature of Spiritual Authority are drawn from a series of messages delivered by the great Chinese preacher-teacher, Watchman Nee, during a training period for Christian workers in China in 1948.

From AudioFile
Watchman Nee draws upon biblical stories for this book of teachings about the authority of God over humans. He writes with conviction and without pretense. Michael Kramer gives a straightforward and low-key narration consistent with the message and style of the text. He is an authoritative and articulate guide through the material and avoids becoming pedantic. Kramer maintains a steady pace that is easy to follow and lends itself to thoughtful listening. This volume could form the basis for individual or group Bible study, although the material carries over from disc to disc, making it somewhat cumbersome for use in this way. J.E.M. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Christian Fellowship Publishers (June 1972)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0935008357
• ISBN-13: 978-0935008357
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #36,518 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great work., December 20, 2002

By	James T Humphrey II (Huntersville, NC United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Without a doubt, this is a very good work. Nee's ability to expound on various passages concerning authority, submission, and obedience is superb. Beware though, there are a few statements Nee makes in this book that need to be further examined, and may be in error- but probably are not.

My only complaint about this book is that it is highly repetitive. You will read many of the same statements over and over again, but that's because this is simply a collection of sermons/essays by Nee. He did not simply sit down and write a book.

Also I find it of interest that Nee doesn't make very many personal references/examples in this work. Had he put more of his own experiences in this work, you would probably be reading John Bevere's "Under Cover," which is remarkably similiar to this book.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nee the Elder, June 12, 2000

By	Justin Hawley (Rochester, MN.) - See all my reviews

Watchman Nee is, to me, a perfect example of a person with no "Christian" culture. Living in China, when he read the Bible, he had no premeditated bias, and his insights are astounding. This book focuses on God's authority, his delegated authority, and why it is crucially important, for your own sake, to recognize His authority wherever it lies. It is a book for anyone who wants an extremely mature, humbled walk with God in a depth you can only now imagine. On a side note, don't plan on reading this in a weekend. The information contained within is so deep and profound I found myself stopping after every two paragraphs and meditating on what Nee said for a week. Next to the Bible, it is one of my two favorite books, (the other one being Neil T. Anderson's "Victory Over the Darkness"). Jesus' revelation be with you.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for discipling Americans, April 21, 2006

By	David A. Bielby "Ev Xpistw" (Normal, IL USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

As an American Pastor who is not power hungry nor a control freak...as so many critics of this book claim it fosters...I have found this book deals with the issue of authority from a spiritual perspective. Nee doesn't hesitate to challenge Christians to trust in God and to demonstrate that trust in God by obeying leaders and by submitting to their God given authority. In our culture in America today, disrespect for leaders is considered a right. Nee calls it sin.

I think one of the reasons this book has so much controversy around it is because we are so off culturally in the land of the free and the brave...with respect to submission to leaders and to authority. We are so independent minded as a nation that the whole concept seems like a foreign concept. It's very easy then for some to label it as some sort of oriental influence. But in reality this book applied well is crucial for life transforming pastoral leadership.

Another reason this book has been criticized is because some leaders have used it while leading from their own insecurities and fear of losing people from their ministries. Some abusive tendencies have spawned just criticism of those ministries. But that is NOT Nee's problem...nor a result of the book. That is the result of leaders' allowing their old nature to cloud the spiritual principles laid out in scripture. So we should not blast 'Spiritual Authority'.

Some I know who have been wounded by this sort of
abusive leadership have overreacted by rejecting the entire concept of any leadership/authority at all. Some say that the
bible doesn't teach the concept of spiritual authority at all!!
That's pretty bad in my view.

Layered over that is the egalitarian movement which rejects authority in the sense Nee lays it out here. The combination is there are multiple pressures on the church to reject spiritual authority of any kind. I've seen some egalitarians fight hard
to redefine words which include the concept of authority and obedience so that they can remove the entire concept. But
the scriptures are clear on the subject.

If we can study what the scripture says about spiritual authority and compare it to what Nee says here, I think we will be encouraged to trust in God through all kinds of situations...and we will see the Kingdom of God advance.

There are very few books bold enough to tackle this issue. There are very few books which dealt with a failure to recognize authority in my life as this one did.

For me the most convicting chapter was the one on delegated authority. Nee points out that God places people in authority and that we are rejecting him when we fail to respect delegated authorities. This led me to contact the Assistant Pastor of my old church and ask for his forgiveness. He so appreciated the call.

Where do you have trouble submitting to authority?

Why not read this book...prayerfully and with an open heart?
Ask God to show you if you need to change and don't be surprised if you end up actually being placed into a place of spiritual authority after you learn the lessons God teaches you through this challenging book. I think that God used this book to help me transition into the ministry full time. It was and is a very helpful book for me personally.

I think one other caution is in line. Some people are so overly submissive that they don't need to read this book. For those people I would recommend NOT reading this book but instead focus on something that encourages them to have healthy conflict resolutions. Maybe these people should find a book on conflict resolution and read that instead. But for most of us...especially American Evangelicals in general...we desperately need this bold message!